Undead Diary
by Apoc326
Summary: A collection of audio transcripts, diaries and letters left behind by victims of the Undead Plague. M for language and gore.
1. DoD File 177167B18608

DoD File # 177167-B186-08

Date of Submission: 27 November 2014

Abstract: The below is a transcript of an audio recording was found in a storage room in the Kroger on Union Lake road in the city of White Lake, MI. The tape chronicles the recorder's [John Hampton's] role in Incident 177167, site B186 [Michigan, 186th cleanup location] and contains Hampton's suicide. The recording was made early in the Undead War and offers insight of the infection spread into an area that was totally infected. As very little is know about the actual spread of the infection from Detroit to the suburban and then urban areas, this recording is invaluable.

***Playback Begin***

*labored breathing with a distant banging in the background*

"My...My name is John Hampton. Today is July 28th, 2010. I reside at [garbled] Elizabeth Lake road, White Lake. Five days ago, there was a mass riot in Detroit. There was no reason at all for it. That was the first thing that made me wonder. Then people started dying. Not just one or two, but by the thousands. The news said that bite wounds were the main cause, that chunks of the victims were just _gone_, eaten.

"I wasn't sure what to make of it. Detroit's just a forty-five minute drive from my home... I guess I wasn't remiss in cleaning my shotgun and making a run to the Gun Barn... Bought two cases of BB 3-inch shells. Nothing quite says 'Get the fuck back' like a 12-gauge barrel in your face.

"Watching all those zombie movies made me about as ready as I'd ever be. I didn't think it was a riot back there in D-Town. No one riots for no reason, nor does anyone use their fellow rioter as a human snack."

*sliding sound, as if repositioning self*

"Two days ago the National guard, which was called up a day before, rolled into Detroit. The news was there to cover the whole damn show too. Those poor fuckers had next to no chance. By then people had figured that you need to shoot the damned ghouls in the head, but there were so many. They even used one of those beautiful Abrams tanks to run the fuckers over. Didn't help much. They'd get broken up, but as long as they had a head, they'd crawl to get to their food.

"The guardsmen even managed to clear a section of the city before Homeland Security put up a press blackout. Even after, some poor fucks with video cameras who were still in the city were posting stuff online. Then they cut the internet connections, _all of them_ to the city and the surrounding area, including my home. I didn't even know that was _possible_."

*clears throat*

"Anyways, looks like those guardsmen failed. 'Cause Zed is here and he is hungry. I woke up this morning when one of them tossed himself though the window. I shot him easy enough with my shotgun. Turns out he was my neighbor. That's when it _really_ hit me. This wasn't going to be stopped by the Army, not the government, and not even by the fucking Marines."

*chucking to himself*

"What's worse is that these are the track star-type zombies. The kind that could run a 4-minute mile and still eat your balls for a snack and not notice. If they were the shufflers, the slow kind, we would have had a chance at beating them.

"Anyway, about why I'm here in the goddamn Kroger of all places... After I racked another round and replaced the spent shell, two more of 'em came in right after my neighbor. I got them good, but the sound attracted more. I grabbed a couple boxes of shells and ran out to my car. Only stopped to put on some pants. I shot five more and the magazine was empty. Had to use the butt of the gun to beat the last one down.

"I got in my car and just _drove_. I didn't really think of anywhere to go. I mean I just killed 9 of my neighbors and I was covered in blood. I turned onto Union Lake road and kept going. It happened so early that almost no one had time to wake up or get on the road, so no stopped cars were in my way. However, the fucking zeds were everywhere. I don't know how many of them I hit. Thank the lord for the American lust after SUVs.

"I just drove around between here and Pontiac and then Novi. It wasn't pretty. I went to every population center I could get to, only two, and they were both overrun. I didn't dare go on M-59, that was a deathtrap according to the radio. Not a single place was safe, so I decided to head home, or at least towards home.

"On my way back, I saw a group of people running into the Kroger and I decided to see if I could help them or if they could help me. I pulled in, but as soon as I did, they all came running back out. They were infected, so I grabbed my shotgun and went to work.

"I did some fancy driving, backwards mostly while shooting out the driver's window. I managed to kill enough of them and got out. I took care of the rest and went inside. Apparently they had been chasing a woman. God, she was a sight I wish I had never seen. They literally tore her apart right at the waist. Like two had grabber her arms and two took her legs and they pulled as hard as they could.

"After that, they started eating her. I guess that's when I showed up and distracted them, because she was infected now. She started crawling at me with her one good arm and I shot her. Took 'er head clean off. I wasn't too hungry after that.

"I looked around the store. The employees had all been eaten or nearly so and then turned. I cleared the store of the dead and then I used the keys I pulled from the manager's body to lock the doors. I moved some shelves in the way of the windows so they can't see in. It won't hold up too long if they decide to come at me, but I think that they work mostly on sight."

*glass smashing, metal being moved on the floor, moaning*

"Aw _hell_! Hold on a minute!"

*feet running joined by others, three shotgun blasts*

"Almost there! Ha ha ha Fuckers!"

*heavy door slamming and lock being activated*

"As I was just getting to, I set up panic room in the back. Good thing I did that right after I set up the barricades, instead of making this or I'd really be up shit-"

*heavy slamming on the door, metal groaning*

"You have _got _ to be _shitting me_! Goddamned son of a bitch!"

*more running and the sound of another door being locked*

"I just had to jinx it. They managed to compromise the motherfucking door. That thing is heavy too. they must be damned strong. Well, I'm in a closet now. The door isn't nearly as strong as the other one. I don't think that the other door will hold that long either."

*long pause, sound of shotgun loading a round*

"I don't want to be eaten and I doubt that they'll take so long I'll be one of them. So I've said my piece and told my story. Sorry to leave you like this, but if you're listening, it means that you've done better than I have. If you're on the run, have fun my friend. If you're safe and it's over, I salute you and those who stopped them."

*shotgun fires*

*banging in background intensifies, moaning now clearly audible*

*door is broken from hinges, moaning increases in volume, Undead consuming the body*

***End Playback***

Commentary:

Staff Sergeant Don Case: My fire team found this recording while we were sweeping area B186 as part of Operation Bulldog. The supposed body of Mr. Hampton was found still holding a Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun. The body was heavily... eaten and was tagged for disposal.

Case Officer Barry Handson: We have found records of a John Hampton living at a nearby address that matches the recording. His next of kin and immediate family seem to have also been victims of the Undead Plague. The body was burned as part of Operation Bulldog's standing orders, Mr. Hampton was the 8th person to have left a record that has been recovered in area B186.


	2. DoD File 177167A06219

DoD File # 177167-A062-19

Date of Submission: 30 November 2014

Abstract: The below is a letter written by Jessica Hapner and it was addressed to her parents, now deceased. It was written sometime after the fall of order in site A62[New York, 62nd cleanup location]. It tells her story of being on the run and seeking shelter. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

***Begin Letter***

Mom, Dad,

I have no idea where you two are. I hardly know where I am. Sure I'm in the house, but I don't recognize the place at all. It looks like someone just bombed the whole neighborhood [South Kortright, site A62, was saturation bombed by B-52's early in the Undead War in an effort to stem the tide of Undead that was spreading out from New York City].

By the way, it's been more than 2 years since I left home. Today is December, 3 2012. It's so cold, but they don't move nearly as fast in the cold. I've even seen some freeze solid. I really like those ones, I just smash their skulls and it's no big deal.

But after the whole war started when I was in school, I never managed to make it back home. I've gone all over the state, into Massachusetts and as far north as Vermont. I know that's not far, but when you're on foot, mostly alone and being chased by those things, that's a lot of ground.

While I've been running around I've met tons of people. Not so many in the last couple months though, only a couple. I've also seen most of them die. A lot just up and kill themselves someday. I don't get it. You just survived 3 months of running from the zombies, it just started snowing, so why NOW of all times do you decide to off yourself? It just doesn't make any sense.

I've also seen a lot of people die from disease. When the water stopped running and the power stopped working diseases that were figments of our imaginations and history came back. Dysentery, Cholera, even the fever have killed people all around me. I don't know why I'm still alive…

There are so many times that luck saved me. A year ago I might've said 'God saved me', but I can't honestly say that anymore. What kind of loving father would let his children to this to one another?

I know this won't help you remember me as your innocent little girl, but I'm not the same anymore. Anyways, the house is in pieces so I can't stay here for too much longer. Any food that was here got pillaged some time ago.

I promise that I'll come back some day, but for now, I have to go and find some food. Food that doesn't go bad is getting hard to find. So is alcohol. It doesn't help you keep awake and alert much, but it at least let's me forget some of the stuff that I've seen.

Love,

Always your little girl,

Jessica

P.S. If this doesn't find Mom and Dad, I ask that you remember my story and that you leave this here for my parents to find.

***End Letter***

Commentary:

Lance Corporal Harvey Burns USMC: My fire team was going from house to house looking for Zack. This note was found taped to a door. It was in a plastic sheath and duck tapped to the door so securely that we had to cut it out rather than peel back the tape. We were ordered to bring this sort of thing in so Command could piece together just how the spread of the Plague worked. I just hope that this woman found her family.

Case Officer Barry Handson: This sort letter is apparently rather common; people will return after years looking for family. We have managed to find out that Miss Hapner did reside at the home in question. Her parents James and Elizabeth are unaccounted for and assumed victims of the Undead Plague. If they were not turned or eaten, they might have been victims of the Operation Firewall saturation bombings.

Psychiatric Consultant James Schiff: In my professional opinion, Jessica very well might be still alive and in a refugee camp. There are several within traveling distance that were established before the writing of this letter. From her handwriting and the tone of her words, Hapner was a fighter. She may be alive and living under an assumed name or unaccounted for in a camp. If further inquiry into her story are wanted, I recommend a search for Hapner be conducted among the camps.

* * *

A/N: Hey all. I know these are short, but people on the run don't have much time. Read and Review, I really need the input. Not to mention that I measure my worth as a human being by the amount of traffic that I get.


	3. DoD File 177167D02445

DoD File # 177167-D024-45

Date of Submission: 1 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a verbatim copy of a diary that belonged to Joshua Bowman. It is unknown who the man was or where he is from. The diary was found in the KRAJ radio station located in Ridgecrest, CA, site D024 [California, 24th cleanup location] along with Mr. Bowman. Bowman was driven insane by the continuous moaning of the Undead outside of the radio station and is unable to give an actual testament himself. This diary is his sole account.

***Begin Text***

January 14th 2013

I decided to finally start to keep a written account of my travels. My name is Josh Bowman and you're now along for this wild ride that is my life.

Assuming that you haven't been in a very safe cave for the last three or so years, you'll know that sometime in mid 2010 an outbreak of a zombie causing plague occurred. It's only transferrable by bits and blood exchange and the virus kills you. Problem is that you don't stay dead. Nope, you get up and gain fucking superpowers. You can run like an Olympic track athlete and do it for as long as your limbs are still a part of you.

With the recap out of the way, I just wandered my way into this nice looking town called Ridgecrest. Well, it would look nice if half the houses were in decent shape and there were live people walking around. C-178 runs right through town. That was a big evacuation route from back at the start of this whole mess. Thousands of cars all over the place. It's a real hazard because there are some of those undead fuckers in the cars and they try and snag you when you walk past.

Anyways, I'm holed up on the roof of a Fastrip. Some of the canned food is still around and edible and it's a nice night. A little chilly, but I'm going to sleep out under the stars tonight.

January 18th 2013

I found the temporary Marine outpost that was in the town. They had the boys in green acting as guard duty for the convoys headed further into the country. It's a mess. Tons of bodies all over the place. Damn fine young men who signed up to go fight a war in the Middle East get eaten. It's a damn shame.

Those grunts did a damned good job here anyways. For every one of them I find, there are at least ten bodies with nice big holes in their heads. Not so much bodies really, just skeletons and clothes. I dropped by the armory and found myself an M4 Carbine, a nice M82 sniper rifle and enough ammo to keep me good and happy for a few months. I brought it all back to the roof up here with me.

I wonder what's going on overseas now anyways. I haven't heard any real news since… oh two years ago now. God, it's been a long time. Not really, but it's seems at least five times that long.

January 25th 2013

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote, but I've been busy. I found the local radio station about a mile and a half down the road. I spent almost a week moving all my gear up to the station and making it relatively sturdy. I used tons of stuff from a hardware store and made the windows impossible to get through, even for them. Thank the Lord for sheet metal.

I even managed to siphon enough gas from the pumps at the gas stations and the cars nearby to run a generator for a damn long time. I actually think that I'm set for a while. I think that this is the happiest that I've been in some time.

I'm really shocked by the lack of zeds that I've seen. Sure there are a couple in the cars, but hardly any are in this town. It was a good sized town too. I wonder if they've moved on or if… something else. I know it's too much to hope that they starve to death, but I still have my faith and I still have hope.

February 1st, 2013

I saw a plane today. Not a single prop deal that I saw tons of back in the beginning, you know those folks who'd hope from remote airport to remote airport. No, this was a godsend almost. It was a military transport, a C-130 or the bigger one, I don't remember what it was. [Bowman was most likely seeing the Operation Lifeline cargo flights to uninfected Hawaii from Omaha, Nebraska] But this means that there is some form of government still around.

I figured that we survivors were on our own two or three years ago. Everything fell apart so fast that I didn't think that anyone in power had a chance to keep anything in order.

God, I wish Jenny [unknown person] were here. She'd be so happy. I can't believe that I lost her and the baby to childbirth after all we went through. It still pissed me off, but I almost think that she's in a better place. Not sure how I could justify bringing a child into this world, but we would have made it work.

February 14th, 2013

I started broadcasting a repeating message through the antenna today [the message was never reported by any aircraft or ground personnel]. I had the idea the day after I saw the plane but it took me a while to figure out how to use this broadcast equipment without using too much power.

I've been seeing the plane more and more. I don't think it's the same one either. It flies really high up so It doesn't land anywhere near where I am, but it means that people are still alive somewhere.

February 17th, 2013

I saw a group of passing zeds today. I decided to have some fun with them, so I broke out that Barrett that I found and capped a couple of them. They were a half mile or so out so they didn't even notice me. They just kept walking along like nothing was unusual as their buddies dropped all around them until about twenty of them were dead.

The only problem is that the few zed that were in the cars are moaning nonstop now. That damned sound is omni-directional or something because it sounds like its coming from all around even though I can see the one that's making the noise.

Ah well, I'll just sleep inside tonight where it's not as loud. The glass in the soundproof room must have broken a long time ago, because it had dust on it when I first came here. I wish that room was still sound proof. I'll take care of the zeds in the car tomorrow.

February 20th, 2013

I'm quite pissed. It took me three days to track down and kill all those damned moaners. As if that wasn't bad enough, just as I silenced the last one a whole pack came running into town. It's a good thing that I started a ways out from town and moved my way back towards the station or I might be undead chow.

My blessings are relatively short though because now I've got a lot of them pounding on the reinforced windows and doors now. And God are they MOANING. A man can't think straight with all this racket.

I'm going to head up on the roof with the M4 and a couple hundred rounds of ammo and see how much fun I can have with dispatching these loud bastards.

*text is becoming difficult to decipher, hand writing becoming les legible*

February 22nd, 2013

There is no end to these walking dirt bags. They just keep coming from the west. It's like every zed from here to the coast is on its way to try and eat ME. I keep getting this horrible thought that I'm the only one for hundreds of miles and that they're all coming just to eat my scared ass.

I had to stop shooting them because the bodies are piling up and I don't want them to be able to climb up to the higher windows or the roof.

This incessant moaning is starting to get to me. I have this horrible feeling of foreboding all the time now. I can't sleep too well either. I've been sleeping in the innermost room that I can find with headphones on to try and block out the sound, but it doesn't help much.

*text becomes even more difficult to decipher*

February 27th, 2013

Get this fucking sound out of my HEAD! It's like they're in my head already! I can't fucking stand it! They never stop, they just keep moaning all day and night! They don't have to breath so they don't have to stop, they even moan when they inhale so they can keep moaning!

*text is more scribbled than written, drawing cover the page, few make any sense*

March 2nd, 2013

I shot a lot of them today. Just to shut them up. They can't quite touch the top of the roof, but they want to. I can hear it in their groaning. They want to eat me and only me. That's why they're here. They want to eat me. It makes that much sense doesn't it?

I'm all out of ammo now. I saved one round for my pistol for myself. The M4 and the Barrett are empty. I used them for clubs to smash in some head today. The M4 is too short to actually hit them so I put the bayonet on and stabbed at them. One almost got my arm, but I managed to get away.

I want to use the last of my fuel to burn them. I think that their clothing would light and it would kill most of them. At least I could sleep again.

*the text is entirely composed of scribbles*

January 47th, 2015

*what resembles a gas can is pouring out what can be assumed to be gasoline onto stick figures with their mouths open*

*there is a fire and it's producing large plumes of black smoke*

***End Text***

Commentary:

Colonel David Johnson: I was moving my regiment westward into California as part of the cleanup operation known as Operation Bulldog. We were tasked with clearing site D024. Some ten miles out I was informed of a large column of black smoke rising into the sky.

By the time we arrived, the fire was largely burnt out. What was burning was surprising, several hundred Undead had surrounded a radio station. Someone had shot many of them and then lit the rest on fire with an accelerant.

I was looking forward to rescuing my first survivor, so I was glad to hear that the building was still roughly intact and unbreached. It took two squads an hour to break through and enter the building. Inside we found the man we later found out to be Joshua Bowman inside.

The man had clearly been inside for some time and was obviously mentally unstable. The incessant moaning of the Undead has been documented to cause insanity for prolonged periods of exposure. I hope that our shrinks can help that man.

Case Officer Barry Handson: Mr. Bowman is currently receiving the best care that can be offered to a mentally damaged survivor. It is unknown whether he will ever be capable of living unassisted again. No family members have stepped forward or been found.


	4. DoD File 177167T935002

**Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch of the military. I do not own anything within these chapters except the characters. I also do not own Dawn of the Dead.  
**

**With that out of the way, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited and PM'd me. You guys are awesome, read and review.**

**Also, a special thanks to boydman18 who's story inspired me to write mine.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

DoD File # 177167-T935-002

Date of Submission: 7 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a video recording made by Anne McManus in Estes Park, Colorado. She and a group of twenty other survivors were rescued by a helicopter that flew over the area in the early days of the Undead War. McManus was vacationing in site T935 [Colorado, 935th cleanup site] immediately before the outbreak of the Undead Plague.

***Playback Begin***

*camera shows the face of McManus looking into the lens, presumably cleaning it [timestamp indicates 11:46 A.M. July 30, 2010]*

*hysterical voice off camera* "Anne? Do you have the camera?!"

"It's right here mom [Esther McManus]! What's so damned important?"

*McManus walks over to the window of the hotel room and points it out into the parking lot. Several Undead are feasting upon a fallen man.*

"What are they doing?! _Eating him_?"

*camera zooms in on the feasting Undead, the footage graphically confirms ' suspicions*

"Holy shit mom! You're right! Why isn't anyone helping that man?"

"Look!"

*a hotel employee is running outside with a stun gun, he fires it and disables one Undead, but draws the attention of others*

"Oh no…"

"Why isn't he running?! RUN GET OUT OF THERE!"

*three Undead run in from off camera and tackle the man to the ground, he is killed and eaten*

"Oh my God! We have to get out of here, NOW!"

"And go where mom? They're between us and the car!"

"They'll go after someone else in a minute or the police will get here. When that happens, we make a break for the car and go into the park [ is referring to the former Rocky Mountain National Park]."

"We're not going to help that man?!"

"Honey, he's dead. Look at them."

*key jingling off camera*

"I've got the keys, turn off the camera and get ready to- GOGOGO!"

*local police responding to a 9-1-1 call arrive, the Undead become preoccupied with the police and run towards the arriving cruisers [_Blair Witch_-esque running with the camera follows]*

"Don't stop for anything! Just get to the car!"

"I got it, Mom! I don't want to get eaten!"

*the two women enter the car and the camera is turned off*

*the camera turns back on in a parking lot a short distance inside the Rocky Mountain National Park [timestamp indicates 12:23 P.M. July 30, 2010]*

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

"The radio didn't make any sense… dead people coming back to life? That's not possible, that's horror movie stuff."

"Not any more sweety… You saw those ones on the side of the road. I don't think that anyone could have those kinds of wounds and live."

"Where are we going to go now, Mom?"

*a car pulls up and a man [later identified as John Klein] rolls down his window*

"Ladies, you can't stay here. I saw a whole bunch of those things a coupl'a miles back. They'll be here in no time. There's a visitor center up Trail Ridge road. It's a two track up the mountain. Almost the only way up there. It should be safe for a while. Come on!"

*the camera swings to *

"Mom?"

"Let's go. We don't have any other choice."

*the camera is turned off*

*the camera turns back on in another parking lot outside a visitor center [timestamp indicates 2:27 P.M. July 30, 2010], a small crowd of people is standing near the entrance, a park Ranger is addressing the people assembled outside the building*

"We know that there is a crisis taking place! It's happening all over the state, even the country for all I know. I've put in a call to Civil Defense and notified them that there is a large crowd of people here. They haven't promised anything, but they have given some instructions with those… things. We've fortified the building's entrances and exits. Everyone needing medical attention will stay out here while everyone else heads inside. Any injuries at all should be inspected and given the proper medical treatment so there isn't an outbreak of disease with this many of us in one place."

[The Ranger, Tom McClain, called the Colorado Civil Defense Office requesting an evacuation of the civilians at the center. He was told to inspect all injuries. All cases with bites and scratches from the Undead were to be executed with headshots and the bodies burned. _Only_ after that would the civilians be evacuated. With the Events in Michigan and other states in the preceding days, the method of contamination had been determined. This information and advice was given to all similar cases. It is very likely that the civilians in the center were saved because McClain faithfully carried out these orders]

"Good thing we're not injure, huh Mom? I can't wait another minute to get inside."

"We are fortunate to have come through this unscathed…"

*the camera is shut off once more as the McManus women enter the center and the injured head off to be treated*

*the camera turns on again, several people are screaming, others crying and many are shouting, the camera is pointed out the window at a group of nine people surrounded by park Rangers who are armed [timestamp indicates 5:41 A.M. July 30, 2010]*

"What are they doing?!"

"They're going to _shoot_ them!"

"Why would they do that?"

"They're all bitten, or scratched or something! That's how it spreads in the movies!"

"So they're gonna shoot 'em?"

"It's them or us. I vote fer us!"

"Daddy!"

*mother comforts the child*

"I can't watch."

*the Rangers raise their weapons, aiming for headshots, not one of the infected move*

"They're gonna do it Mom!"

"Don't watch, honey. It'll be over soon anyways."

*the Rangers open fire killing four of the infected people, screams are heard from all around, the sobbing increases, Rangers take aim at the next four civilians and fire*

"DADDY!"

*sobbing* "It's ok honey, Daddy's in a better place now…"

*McClain shakes the hand of the last infected man, apparently apologizing, takes aim and fires*

"They really did it…"

"Look at all the blood…"

"I'm gonna be sick!"

*the rangers don surgical masks and stack the bodies in the far corner of the parking lot and douse the in gas, and incinerate the bodies, the camera is turned off*

*the camera is turned on, the sound of rotor blades from a helicopter and wind are making too much noise for anything to be heard, the camera shows a large group of Undead running up the road towards the center [timestamp indicates 7:26 A.M. July 31, 2010]*

Holy shit! They're coming!"

"Ma'am, you need to get aboard, _now_!"

* gets aboard the Air Force CH-47, the camera shows the Crew Chief standing on the ramp*

"Captain, That's the last one!"

"Oh god! Jeremy! We left Jeremy!"

*the camera shows a man, presumably Jeremy Thompson, run out of the visitor enter towards the hovering helicopter, several yards short of the ramp he is tackled by an Undead, others soon enter the fray*

"Oh God! JEREMY!"

"Captain, get us up! NOW! Sergeant! Why aren't you firing?!"

*the tail gunner begins firing into the oncoming horde of Undead as the helicopter lifts up and heads towards Peterson Air Force Base, the camera shuts off*

***End Recording***

Commentary:

Park Ranger Tom McClain: It was honest to God hell on Earth. Most of my career had been pretty sedate, mostly keeping tourists safe and in line. But that day… well things went to shit real fast.

I still blame myself for Jeremy's death. Everyone in there, we all got pretty close in only a few hours, but I still can't believe that I missed him in the head count. We all keep in touch still and have a get together on the July 30th to remember our loved ones.

Case Officer Barry Handson: This recording is both a tale of how things went right in Estes Park, saving twenty people was big news that early in the War. It was very rare for the military to pick up survivors because so many had those injured by the Undead in their groups. Standard Operating Procedure of the day dictated that no group that had infected persons among them could be picked up, at the risk of infection.

It should be noted that this file's designation is based upon the area in which it was recovered, and not that or chronological categorization. Ms. McManus' recording was made in Colorado, one of the later cleanup zones and in a remote cleanup site at that. I thought it fitting for it to be categorized in the proper place.

* * *

A/N: If anyone wants their hometown or somewhere else to be a locale for a diary, let me know and I'll work it in.


	5. DoD File 177167Q1075098

DoD File # 177167-Q1075-098

Date of Submission: 10 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a verbatim transcript taken from one of the few phones still functioning that was found in site Q1075 [Florida 1075th cleanup site] during Operation Kraken. It follows the story of Joeseph Mozer and his father during the early moments of the outbreak reaching Mount Dora, FL.

***Playback Begin***

*gunfire in background*

"My name is Joe Mozer! I don't know what's going on really! I was golfing with my dad when an Army convoy drove by on 141 and started shooting at a whole bunch of… zombies! They just came out of nowhere!"

*moaning becomes louder, a very near gunshot is heard*

"Kid! Put that damn phone down, pick up that rifle and shoot these things in the head!"

"Y-yes sir!"

*recording hangs briefly*

*random gunfire every so often*

"So like I was saying, these soldiers come out of nowhere and start shooting these things up. They grabbed all us 'civvies' they call us, gave us rifles and told us to shoot. We fought for a few minutes by the golf course and then we moved more north towards the 46 intersection. We sat on the overpass for a few minutes shooting at all of those things down below us. One of the guys had a huge rifle that he was using to blow guys in half."

"Son, what are you doing?"

"Makin' a recording dad. This could be worth saving."

"We've been conscripted. End of story. They give us guns and we do what they say. I always hated this Middle School… Who's idea was it to hole up in this damned thing?"

"Captain Marshall, dad."

*long burst of gunfire*

"Ok ladies and gentlemen, up and ready to move! There's a whole horde of them coming this way. Keep in the fire teams we put you in and do what we say! Don't panic and we get out of here and make it to Patrick Air Force Base."

*prolonged burst of fire*

"Shoot them in the head, save your ammo and we'll get through this! Do you hear me?"

*scattered and various forms of acknowledgement*

"You two, come up to the roof with me, and put that damned phone away kid! Fucking Apple shit…"

*recording hangs again*

*whispering*

"We stopped firing for a bit so we can make sure everyone has ammo before we start shooting and lure them all here. Sergeant Davidoff says that once we do that, we can make a break for the Humvees and make the dash for Patrick because they're too busy picking up other people."

*sound of groaning, as if from a distance*

"What's going on down there?!"

"I-I think there's something wrong with him Sarge…"

"Was he bitten?"

"Yeah, he says he doesn't feel well. What should we do?"

*silence*

"Sir, wha-"*gunshot*

"What was that for?!"

"Kid, he was infected. That's how they spread the virus. He was gonna turn and kill us all. I don't want that and neither do you. Now put that damned phone away, we've got a fight to deal with."

"We're ready, Captain."

"Very well, OPEN FIRE!"

*heavy gunfire cut off by a hang in the recording*

*sound of a diesel motor and a young man crying*

"Kid, there was nothing you could do…"

"We made it, but my dad didn't… He got caught while we were running out to the Humvees… They just tore him apart right there in the-"

*horn blaring quickly followed by the mounted .50 caliber machinegun firing*

"Fucking road is blocked sir!"

"Plow through it then!"

"Speeding up si-"

*loud crunching noise, glass shattering, distant gunfire*

*several minute pass before the gunfire in the distance is silenced by moaning and screaming, moaning steadily grows louder and is followed by the sound of flesh being consumed by the undead*

***End Playback***

Commentary:

Case Officer Barry Handson: This recording is remarkable for another reason other than the recording being taken on a phone and surviving. It is the first case of friendly fire in the entire Undead War. As the convoy of Humvees approached a 20 mile perimeter around Patrick Air Force Base and safety, they failed to answer a radio hail from a patrolling Apache gunship. Failing to identify themselves and for attempting to run a roadblock, the helicopter opened fire assuming the Humvees were stolen.

Joeseph Mozer actually managed to survive and ran clear of the wreckage along with 13 other soldiers and civilians. The Apache managed to provide cover long enough for another helicopter, a UH-60 Blackhawk, to come and rescue them. Mozer enlisted upon arrival and served to the end of the war and now is a member of the Army Reserve.

* * *

Ok, so this was the first chapter in a damned long time. I thank grapefruits from the bottom of my heart for the location suggestion. I wasn't lying when I said thatI was tapped for ideas. If anyone cares to read more of this story in all of its typo-ridden mediocrity, then I need locations in the US that I can use. I'm asking, nay pleading for some ideas.

Also, I need names. I'm starting to mix and match names of friends.

Please, read and review people.


	6. DoD File 177167AA7019189

**Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch of the military. I do not own anything within these chapters except the characters. I also do not own Dawn of the Dead.**

**Well, it's been a literary eternity since I updated, school and summertime apathy have slowed my writing to about 3 steps short of nil.**

**Again, a heartfelt thanks to MadHouse who suggest Batton Rouge as a location.

* * *

**

DoD File # 177167-AA7019-189

Date of Submission: 13 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a verbatim transcript taken a written diary found in site AA7019 [Louisiana 7019th cleanup site] during Operation Kraken. It follows Cameron Dillan and his group who holed up on a rooftop waiting for air evacuations promised in an Emergency Bulletin displayed on local television.

***Begin Text***

Day 1

It's strange how quickly your world can fall apart. Just one day ago, all was well with the world, I banged my girlfriend after I got off work, watched some History Channel and had a few beers. The today, mid-coitus with the wifey, the TV began blaring that awful emergency test noise, only it wasn't a test. Seems that the dead were coming back and the military would be making pickups of people.

I did what any sensible man would do, I finished screwing and took a shower with Allison. In the middle of the shower, before round two could get into full swing, one of those things kicked down the bathroom door and made a jump at us. Allison was bitten by the damned thing and I managed to beat its head in with the shower rod.

I cleaned up the bite, not knowing that it would kill her and make her turn in a day. WE got dressed, I grabbed my shotgun, gave her my .44 and we jumped in the car. We had no supplies and our only plan was to get to a gun store and then get food and water and hole up somewhere while we figure out how to get to the evac points. We knew where they were because helicopters with loudspeakers, the radio and the TV were telling us where they were. Constantly.

It wasn't long before we had to ditch the car because of traffic jams. So we hiked on foot, through mobs of scared and turning people, religious zealots claiming "the end was nigh" and a few groups of ungodly fast undead. We made it to a gun store that was on 190. About two hundred people before us had the same exact fucking idea. We didn't get any guns or ammo, because the place was swarmed and the store owners had a few guns trained on anyone who got too close.

So we said "fuck it", grabbed about ten people who actually had guns on them, and ammo to spare and we holed up in an electronics store across the way. We worked with the employees to secure the place good and tight and got on the roof just in time to see a horde of undead descend on the idiots still outside the gun shop. There was so much shooting, from us, the crowd and the gun store people that I couldn't hear Allison screaming about how she was sick.

When things calmed down, read everyone on the ground was dead, I saw Allison laying on the roof coughing up blood. Someone else noticed too, said she was bitten and summarily shot her in the head. I broke his jaw before they hald me down and got in a few hits for me being so fucking stupid.

So, now I'm here, hoping we can get rescued before we starve. We'd send out a group to the bakery across the street, but too many undead are hanging around. We're gonna keep low and wait for them to move on and then try.

Day 2

No such luck with them moving on. Seems all of the people here are dead now. The dumbasses at the gunshop keep shooting, drawing more in from around the area. They don't know where here yet. We don't even talk, else the dead will come for us too. We've got food and water for about 3 days.

Day 3

The gun shop got overrun when they ran out of ammo. Idiots. We were gonna go get what was left once the dead got in. We knew they would. Only a matter of time with them moaning and banging on every surface they can find. The back door was the weak point.

We saw a helicopter, a Little Bird, MH-6 if I remember right, flying around today. Snipers hanging out and shooting at anything that walked funny [Combat Search Teams flew thousands of sorties of the Baton Rouge area in the days immediately after the outbreak, killing undead and spotting survivors for later rescue missions]. We saw them and they saw us. One of the snipers gave us a thumbs up and mouthed "We'll come for you!" over the din of the helicopter and his partner shooting.

We have food for 2 days, water for 3.

Day 4

No sign of the Army or any kind of military today. We hear gunfire from time to time, mostly from people like us who are hiding like scared puppies. Occasionally one spot will quiet down for good.

Some fires started downtown yesterday. Didn't think much of them, but they're burning still today, new buildings going up. It's spreading like some wildfire, just that the trees aren't the only thing burning. Jim says that if the wind keeps blowing away from us, we're safe.

Food's almost out, but if we have as much luck with the undead moving on tomorrow as we did today, we can go raid some stores for food tomorrow. We still have water for 2 days.

Day 5

We made a run for the bakery and some other nearby shops. We got spotted by some zombies and now we are totally surrounded. Their moaning is driving us all up a wall. We went down to the second floor of the store to get out of some rain. We would try to collect it, but the wind changed directions and the smoke is over us, the water wouldn't be safe to drink Jessica said.

I hope we get rescued soon. We've got food for another 7 days and liquids for about 5. The zombies will get to use before then.

Day 6

Well, they got in. Just like we knew they would. So we took out the stairs to the second story last night and we barricaded the door to the stairwell in case they remember how to climb.

We've been using a portable, wind-up radio to listen to the military announcements. They keep saying well all be rescued soon. I damned well hope so.

We left some food downstairs last night, so we're down to 4 days rations and 4 days of water.

Day 7

Another helicopter came by today. Another Little Bird with two snipers in back. We didn't think that they'd see us, but they came in fairly close. We all ran to the rooftops waving our arms and yelling like morons, as if they could hear us. Once they spotted us, the helicopter moved in and the snipers started shooting the undead outside the building. That lured some of them out from the building. They stayed until they had killed at least a hundred of them. Then they came and hovered over the building, about twenty feet up and dropped a package down on the roof, they saluted and flew off.

The package wasn't too big, but it contained three more days of MREs, some government pamphlets explaining what was going on, some news from the outside world, water, and most importantly, a radio. A military two-way deal that someone called a walkie-talkie. The instructions told us what frequency to use and how to use the thing.

We called in like it said. Thank God that a human answered. They asked how many wounded we had, we said none. They asked how many survivors, we told them eight. We asked how long until we got picked up, they said three days at most, sooner most likely. Apparently there aren't many survivors left.

Food for 6 days, water for 8.

Day 8

We left the radio on like we were told. Turned out to be a good thing. At about 4 a.m. they got on the radio, sounding damned worried. They told us to get inside, lay on the floor away from the walls, close our eyes, cover our ears and open our mouths. We tried to ask why, but the operator started screaming to do it and that we had about 30 seconds.

It's a good thing we did what we listened. Not half a minute later, I was counting, there was a distant rumbling, then it got closer and louder. The building began to shake. It kept getting louder and louder, like a gigantic bulldozer was coming our way. The glass blew in and then it felt like hundreds of burly men were kicking my ribs and head. It began to recede and then everything got quiet, except the ringing in our ears. Jim's eardrums actually burst and we all got the wind pulled from our lungs.

We ran to the roof in time to see B-52 bombers, we guessed, flying over the city, bombing it like mad [As in New York, Operation Firewall was implemented to wipe out largely uninhabited sectors to slow the undead advance from population centers]. Skyscrapers fell and it looked spectacular to see the explosions seem to walk along the ground as the bombs hit.

Around then our hearing came back enough for us to hear the radio downstairs. They guy was asking if we were still alive. We told him that yes we were and that they were asshole for nearly killing us. He laughed and said that he got it a lot and that the helicopter was coming tomorrow.

Food for 5 days, water for 6 (some of us needed water to wash the piss form ourselves).

Day 9

We waited for the helicopter all day. We kept calling the radioman and asking him how much longer. The dead were starting to pile on top of one another in the stairwell. He said soon.

Around noon we saw about fifty Chinooks flying over the suburbs, lowering for a few minutes and rising back up and moving to a new location. One time a helicopter started to take off then veered wildly to one side and then plummeted to the ground, exploding in a fireball.

The radioman called and asked us if we were triply sure that we had no wounded or infected amongst us. We told him again, no. Doesn't take much to figure out what happened.

Around two o'clock a helicopter began to make its way towards us. We're saved. It's coming in for a landing now. I'm leaving this diary here. I've got no use for it now.

***End Text***

Commentary:

Case Officer Barry Handson: Cameron and seven others were pulled from the roof of an electronics store on August 7th, 2010. They were rescued by the Army and taken to Camp Beauregard in Pineville, Louisiana. During Operation Henhouse, the military rescue of survivors in Louisiana from population centers, over fourteen thousand people were saved. Fifteen helicopters were lost, along with crew and survivors due to mechanical failure and wounded brought aboard the Helicopters that turned upon death.

Survivors brought to military camps were given the famous choice to either enlist and help fight the war or to stay on the base and work as manual labor in growing food, tending rescued livestock and working as mechanics. The program was successful, if decried as an act of a military dictatorship.

During the Louisiana portion of Operation Kraken, Dillan, who had chosen to enlist, recovered the diary and submitted it to the Department of Defense Human Element Program.

* * *

And once again, Like Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs, I beg and beseech you to provide locations for me to set the next chapters in. I can't guarantee It'll be soon, but I will write more. With more suggestions and feedback, I feel guilty for not continuing to update.

Please, read and review.


	7. DoD File 177167X5019003

**Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch of the military. I do not own anything within these chapters except the characters. I also do not own Dawn of the Dead.**

**Well, instead of preparing myself for the Career Fair on Tuesday, I wrote this. Not the smartest choice I've ever made, but at least I'm not base jumping off of the MEEM building on campus wearing naught but vegetable oil with a BAC of .45. But, I digress, the traffic figures for this story and the two reviews that I got, along with two friends and a cousin that I got to read this are the main reason I wrote another chapter so fast. If you like it, review and give location suggestions, I'd fucking love you forever if you did.**

**As for today's chapter, I'd like to thank sikkboy for the location suggestion and Zie Kraut for the idea of the characters and the new manner in which the diary plays out. Also, a very heartfelt thanks to SC Girl for the ego boost that lead to me writing this tonight after a short marathon of High**s**chool of the Dead.**

**If you see any grammar (not obviously intentional), spelling or other mistakes, please let me know, I tend to write these fast.**

* * *

DoD File # 177167-X5019-003

Date of Submission: 13 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a verbatim transcript taken from an emergency dispatch center in Madison, Georgia, site X5019[Georgia 5019th cleanup site] taken on August 4th, 2010, recovered during Operation Grendel. It is the last known documentation of the MacMillon brothers, James and Leucian. The brothers were poaching deer in the former Ocanee National Forest. They communicated via commercial two-way radio, at some point they switched over to an emergency frequency monitored by the Madison emergency center.

***Playback Begins***

Unknown: 'Ey Leucian, did you got any "customers" *chuckle* yet?

Leucian: Not a damn thing, Jimbo. Birds ain't even movin'.

James: Wonder if the news has anything to do with that.

Leucian: What? Fuckin' zombies or whatever? I say it's bullshit. Riots, some new kind of flu, might even be a fuckin' squirrel flu. New kinds all the damned time they say.

James: I dunno.

Emergency Center Radio Operator: Gentlemen, this is an emergency frequency, unless there's and emergency, switch channels.

[Presumably both brothers switch channels or go silent for several hours]

Leaucian: Oh Christ! I think I just shot someone!

James: What did you jus' say?

Emergency Center Radio Operator: Can you confirm that? You've injured someone? Where are you?

Leaucian: Oh shit... I thought he was a deer! Saw somethin' movin' about fifty yards from me...

ECRO: You've shot someone? Do you have a GPS or map coordinate you can give me? I'll dispatch a Ranger to you.

James: Is he ok?

Leucian: I don't know where I am, Somewhere North of Greensboro, West of 15... Wait... I think... I think he's getting up! Yeah! He's getting up! Oh thank the Lord.

ECRO: Is the man wounded? Can you give me _any_ information that I can use?

Leucian: James, I'm a hill over from the Ridge, can you get to me and help me out here?

James: I'm about a mile South, I heard your gun go off. Be there in 15 or so.

ECRO: Leucian, I need information. I can't help you if I don't know where you are, or how bad the man's hurt.

Leucian: I don' use a map or even own a GPS, James knows where I am, We can bring him back to Greensboro in an hour or so.

ECRO: *becoming aggravated, sighs* This doesn't help me. I need to know where you are so I can send a helicopter if I need to, I also need to know how badly hurt the man is.

Leucian: He's limpin' pretty bad, looks like he's dizzy or soemthin'. He's comin' towards me, I'll try and talk to him.

Jame: be there in ten little bro. Tell 'im to hold on.

ECRO: Ask the man his name and find out everything that you can, that'll help me a lot. If he has a cell phone, we can try and triangulate his location, but cell coverage in the park is iffy at best.

Leucian: Holy shit! He tried to bite me!

ECRO: He did what?

Leucian: He looks like someone hit him with a car! Christ, he's chasin' me an' snarlin' an' shit!

ECRO: He could be in shock, try calming him down.

James: Keep runnin' up the Ridge, I'll meet you there at the top.

Leucian: He don't wanna talk! He just wants ta eat me! He's one of those things on the news! A fuckin' zombie!

ECRO: Can you confirm that? You've come into contact with the Undead?

James: I'm at the top of the Ridge, I see you in my scope, buddy... Jesus... it _is_ one of those things. It's leg is broken, can't move fast.

ECRO: James, I need you to shoot that thing in the head. Now.

James: You want me to kill that thing? It could just be a guy or-

ECRO: Shoot it _now_, James. If that thing bites your brother, he's going to change.

Leucian: Shoot 'im Jim! Fuckin' shoot him, my rifle jammed up on me! [Microphone stays open, panting and crashing brush is heard]

[Gunshot]

James: He's... it's dead. I got 'im Leucian.

ECRO: I need you to mark that location, build a small fire, shoot a flare, _something _ so we can retrieve the body.

Leucian: I got a flare I can fire.

ECRO: Good. A helicopter will be in the area in five minutes. Stay with that body and fire the flare when the helicopter gets close. We need to bring you in to get information. Don't worry about the poaching, we've got far bigger problems.

Leucian: Yes ma'am... I'll stay here. James, can you get to me?

James: Yeah, one sec, I think I hear somethin' comin' up the other side of the Ri- SHIT!

Leucian: [panic audible] What? What is it?

James: We don't have five minutes! There are thirty of those things comin' up the hill after me! Leu, I need you to cover me while I run to you! [Microphone stays open]

Leucian: Hurry up!

ECRO: I got a loose fix on your position, the helicopter is coming as fast as it can, hold on!

James: [Heavy panting] Fuckohfuckohfuckohfuck running!

[A gunshot followed by two more are heard]

Leucian: I got two! Keep running Jim!

James: [Heavy panting] Agh! [Dull thud] I fell! I twisted my ankle!

Leucian: Hold on! I'm comin' to you!

James: Stay back! They might not know where you are! [Four gunshots are heard] Reloading!

Leucian: Just hold on bro! Helicopter is comin' I can hear it!

[Three more gunshots are heard, assumedly from Leucian]

James: They're right on top of me! [Distant moans grow louder, interspersed with gunfire] I'm out of ammo!

Leucian: No! Get up James!

James: [Moaning is very loud] AGH! [Sounds of tissue and clothing tearing, James screams and is cut off, gurgling, the radio is destroyed, the microphone closes]

Leucian: Oh God! They're eating him! What the Hell is going on?

ECRO: Leucian, the helicopter is above you, fire your flare!

Leucian: No! I gotta go back for James!

ECRO: He's dead, Leaucian! You can't do anything for him! Fire your flare and get out of there! We need to know what you saw!

Leucian: Fuck you! [Microphone stays open as Leucian throws the two-way on the ground]

[Running and crashing can be heard, a helicopter is nearby]

[Two gunshots are heard then a distant scream]

[The microphone stays open for several hours before the battery dies]

***End Playback***

Commentary:

Case Officer Barry Handson: The case of the MacMillon brothers is a heartbreaking one. It was a very common phenomena for men, women and even children to throw themselves into hordes of the undead in a vain attempt to save family members that were clearly already dead. Psychologists have discussed ad nauseum as to why healthy people would condemn themselves to death to save or be with those already dead or undead.

The bodies of the two brothers were never found. Their identities were only discovered after a search of the local government records were checked for the names James and Leucian. The brothers were seventeen years and sixteen years old at the time of their death.

Due to the rugged nature of Northern Georgia, the authorities were relying on people outdoors encountering the undead to determine how far and fast through the mountains that the Undead had spread form more Northern states. This was the first case of the Undead being so far South in Georgia. Order fell in Georgia not five days later, save military bases which had gone into lockdown two days prior to this encounter.

* * *

**And once again, Like Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs, I beg and beseech you to provide locations for me to set the next chapters in. I can't guarantee It'll be soon, but I will write more. With more suggestions and feedback, I feel guilty for not continuing to update.**

**Please, read and review.**


	8. DoD File 177167B987017

**Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch of the military. I do not own anything within these chapters except the characters. I also do not own Dawn of the Dead. Also, I do not speak for President Barack Obama, nor do I claim to have any insights on his policies and this speech is a complete work of fiction.**

**Well, it's been a while. Continued thanks to my friends and readers and to all of you who reviewed and gave location suggestions. Also, Happy Halloween!  
**

**As a disclaimer to readers: I don't care if you like or dislike the President, he's the man in office at the time this takes place, so I used a real person. I tired to be as politically neutral as possible. The policies mentioned in the commentary section are mine and mine alone. I doubt that such outlandish events would ever take place, but I find that the mention of them brings a serious feeling of despair to the piece. Don't chew me out for them, it's a work of fiction.**

**With all the ass-covering done, read and enjoy. I had to watch some of his speeches again to get a feeling for how he delivers them.**

**[UPDATE] If anyone seriously gets their panties in a knot over the use of an actual President, I will change the speech and the name.  
**

**

* * *

**DoD File # 177167-B987-017

Date of Submission: 19 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a transcript of the Presidential address of the President of the United States on July 19th 2010 found in a Grand Rapids home belonging to Preston Niels at site B987[Michigan, 987th Cleanup site]. Not normally the sort of transcript submitted to the Human Element Program, but the DVD it was recorded on was labeled "End of the World", making the human label for this speech valuable as evidence of the American mindset at the outset of the War.

***Playback Begins***

*then-President Barrack Hussein Obama sits in the Oval Office, hands folded on his desk, obviously shaken but appearing to remain calm*

"Good evening. Tonight I would like to talk with you about this grave matter affecting our nation. The news networks along with local news agencies have been reporting on disturbing events, namely what has been dubbed by the media as the 'Undead Plague'.

"Panic has swept cities and small towns alike over this blight. As the President, it is the duty handed me by the American People to clarify on this issue and to ask for calm. We cannot fight this infection without the cooperation of the Public. We must stand united as one nation against this threat.

"First, there are numerous theories and suppositions spreading through the media and the internet about these Undead. One thing that they have in common, is that the dead are returning from the embrace of our Lord. While it is yet a mystery as to the hows and whys of this occurrence, it is true. The brilliant scientists and doctors of this country are working with the Centers for Disease Control to determine the cause of this. So far, all we know is that it is indeed caused by some new form of virus. How it spreads is unknown. However, to stem the spread of this grim illness, I am forced to ground all air traffic and force a stop to all interstate travel. Americans are urged to stay in their homes.

"Second, I have declared a national state of emergency. As such, _all_ National Guard and Reserve forces of the American Military are to report for duty. And, with great anguish in my heart, I am forced to declare Martial Law to be in effect across the nation until this crisis is ended. Night time curfews from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. will be in effect for the duration of this pandemic. All citizens are urged to cooperate with the military and follow their instructions whenever they are given. The military has been authorized by me to use lethal force if the curfew is broken.

"Third, I urge you not to go to the Hospital unless you are seriously injured or ill. Our Hospitals are currently overrun with the wounded victims of this virus. This request is twofold in nature; we must reserve the hospitals for the critically ill and a healthy person going to the hospital may contract this deadly virus.

"Fourth, citizens who see abnormal behavior in the streets are asked to call their local law enforcement. Do not, under any circumstances approach the Undead. They are very dangerous and serve as vectors for this infection. Some of the infected may be your friends, coworkers or even your family. Regardless of their status to you in life, they are no longer. It is believed that an Undead carrier's memories are lost when they die. The no longer remember you and will try to attack you.

"Fifth, if you do encounter the Undead and you are without help from the military or law enforcement you may have to defend yourself. As President of the United States, it grieves me to say this, but you may be forced to kill the Undead to protect your own life or those of your family. One fact has come to light about these infected individuals, they can only be stopped by the destruction of their brain. We do not know why this is the case, but, to echo fictional accounts of similar situations, 'you have to shoot them in the head'. A bullet to the head will kill them, crushing their skulls will kill them, decapitation renders the body immobile, but the head is still dangerous.

"Sixth, I have turned over tactical control of the military to State Governors. They are to deploy the National Guard and military in their states as they see fit. Reports are coming to me from all fifty of our states as well as from leaders across the globe that the situation is dire. These men and women know the needs of their states in this state of emergency better than can be expressed to me. This will also shorten the reaction times of forces stationed within the states, making for a faster resolution to this crisis.

"My fellow Americans, there is no doubt in my mind that united, the American people will come through this horrible event. Our military is strong, our citizens are strong and we are strong. We will come through this crisis as a nation and continue to prosper. Goodnight, and God bless America."

*before the feed cuts off, there is the sound of distant gunfire, the President turns to look outside, muzzle flashes along the walls of the White House can be seen in the extreme distance, several Secret Service members move on screen with weapons drawn, one leans down and whispers something to the President, his eyes go wide and the feed ends*

***End Playback***

Commentary:

Case Officer Barry Handson: This is one of President Obama's more famous addresses to the nation. It is considered as one of the most defining moments of his presidency, breaking the news of the catastrophe befalling the nation to the public.

President Obama was forced to stay in office for an addition two years when granted extended Executive Powers by Congress in 2012. While this action was later deemed highly unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, it was considered to be a necessary action for the times. President Obama stepped down from power in March of 2014 at the declared conclusion of the Undead War. He has been praised by many and demonized by just as many for his controversial actions during the war. His actions, such as the Citizenry Conscription Order which forced civilians to either join the military or work in safe zones as a labor force, and the numerous bombings of cities to slow the spread of the infection from this lost city centers, including the use of nuclear weapons on the cities of New York, Los Angeles and Houston, as well as firing nuclear weapons at China to reduce the population of the Undead. While all of these actions were resounding successes, saving millions of lives, he will forever occupy the history books as the President of the United States during the worst disaster in Human history.

* * *

**And once again, Like Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs, I beg and beseech you to provide locations for me to set the next chapters in. I can't guarantee It'll be soon, but I will write more. With more suggestions and feedback, I feel guilty for not continuing to update.**

**Please, read and review.**


	9. DoD File ?

DoD File # ?-?-?

[UPDATE] 4/6/11 9:00PM OK, I'm kinda surprised by the traffic figures. Guessed updating would put me at the top of the list for "Dawn of the Dead" fics, even if I _am_ here on the loosest of grounds. I've got one final tomorrow at 10AM, after that I plan to spend my post-semester afterglow writing one, hopefully two, chapter(s). Failing that, I _WILL_ have at least one up Thursday night before Midnight (EST). Wish me luck on my Algorithms final! [/UPDATE]

Ok people, firstly, let me apologize for the massive delay in my continuation of this collection. However, I do have a defense for myself: COLLEGE!

Yeah, I know many authors manage to upload and continue their fics whilst at school, but I'm not them, nor am I perfect. Life has been hellacious lately, especially when I have a new roommate who is either bipolar, schizophrenic, manic-depressive or a combination of all three, we may never know. As such, I've been taking every moment that I'm not studying and more than a few that I should be spending studying, and donning noise-canceling headphones and wading into the cesspool that is Modern Warfare 2.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel; Finals begin next week and I'm done by Wednesday night. That leaves me more than a few days that I'm going to spend relaxing and hiding from the roommate, most likely turning more than a few of the suggestions people have been nice enough to give me into chapters.

To those of you who _have_ submitted ideas to me, I haven't discarded a single one, but I may not use all of them at this time because I'm trying to keep the collection as varied as possible, and only rural locations and cities are not great ways to keep that going, so I'm going to be tossing a few random locations (like an aircraft carrier that I thought of while typing this sentence). But your suggestions are more than welcome, so please, keep them coming.

In addition to location and scenario ideas, I need _names_. As I stated before, I've been reduced to smashing names of friends and family together to make interesting ones. Specifically, I'm looking for non-Anglo names (traditional "American" and British names, first and last); Latino names are complex and require me to do more research than I'm already doing, trying to come up with names for black people winds up being racist and insulting (I dislike political correctness, but I believe in respecting people, damn it), I'm somewhat competent on Japanese names, but any other Asian, Indian/Pakistani, Arabic, African or Eastern European/Russian names are lost on me. I want to be as diverse as possible, seeing as this country is diverse (we have a black president with the middle name "Hussein" for God's sake) I want to make the story as diverse in names as diverse in locations.

So, tl;dr version: I want to be updating next week, gimme names, and gimme places.

I'm asking, nay, begging for your assistance on this one, after all how many of your normal authors are _begging_ you for input on where things go on and to whom?

P.S. I don't care if you want a story made about you in your home town, I'll do it. I'm not the one May-Sue-ing, that's you. You will be credited for ideas/guest chapters unless stated otherwise, and I do reserve the right to have you die painfully in the maws of an undead horde with your intestines being tossed about like party streamers while the Undead groan "For He is a Jolly Good Meal"/edit the shit out of guest chapters.

P.S. Mk.2 I've been reading a lot of British literature in my absence, so my writing style and vocabulary are probably going to reflect that. After all, you are what you read. I just hope I'm not spawning zombie hordes by writing this...

"BRAINS..."  
"Oh God, not another one."*cocks Remington 870 Express*  
"I've got work to do."  
*wades off into the Undead Apartment Building*  
Woah, there's another location idea! You'll all get to see my school get overrun!...maybe.


	10. DoD File 177167NAV2FL1103

**Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch of the military. I do not own anything within these chapters except the characters. I also do not own Dawn of the Dead. Furthermore, I am not trying to paint the military, the President or anyone in a negative light.  
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**Ok, so, as promised, I have a chapter for you. This one took me a while and you will not believe the amount of research that I had to do for this one. Firstly, I had to look up aircraft carriers, home ports, strike group affiliations, fleet affiliations, ranks, ratings, Marine units, aircraft wings on carriers, crew sizes, fleet areas of responsibility, nuclear subs, nuclear weapons and a few more things. Basically, I searched enough stuff to get me on five watch lists. I hope you're happy.**

**On the research, I know not everything is correct. I looked very hard to find out all I could of the Marine units mentioned as well as all the equipment and ships that would be accompanying them. I thought it best just to leave the details in the grey rather than make bad guesses.**

**This chapter is a bit longer than any others. As such, it took me a bit longer than most, which means I had less time to proof read my own work which rarely works for me anyways. If you see something grammatically wrong, feel free to tell me.**** Also, I'm going to have to go back and retcon a few things, mostly dates with earlier entries.**

**Back from a hiatus, I present _Undead Diary_ Chapter 10. Please enjoy.  
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DoD File # 177167-NAV2FL-1103

Date of Submission: 20 December 2014

Abstract: The following is a verbatim transcript of Operations Specialist Petty Officer First Class (OS1) Victoria Ziccardi's journal kept aboard the _USS George H. W. Bush _(CVN-77), Flagship of Carrier Strike Group Two (CSG-2) of the Second Fleet [NAV2FL, Navy, 2nd Fleet]., during the First few months of the Undead Plague. After the first tour of the _Bush_, all personal journals were requested to be submitted in an attempt to understand what the service men and women were going through psychologically. Petty Officer Ziccardi turned this journal over to the DoD. This was the 1,103rd such document handed over

***Begin Text***

7/17/10 2300

Well, shore leave was cancelled yesterday at 1700. I hugged my kid, Julie and husband, Greg goodbye at 0500 this morning and we're out to sea.

No one said why shore leave was cancelled. No one really needed to say why. Riots, they're calling them. They started in other countries, in China, in Lebanon, some African counties. Then, they began spreading. No one knew why, or what the riots were even about. They just spread. Stories coming out in the news were weird, something about cannibalism, rabies and general insanity.

Now they've spread to the U.S. People say it came across the oceans on planes. There's talk about grounding all civilian traffic. News agencies are saying it's some kind of virus and speculating about plagues and all that.

Not us. We don't waste our time with that. We just do our jobs. There's rumors and scuttlebutt, but no one knows much. We're just to go out to sea with CSG-2, whatever else of the 2nd we can gather to use and patrol up and down the coast.

It's not much, but it's our job to make sure no one tries anything like sneaking into the country with a bomb, or an army, or whatever.

7/18/10 2245

Well, they aren't riots. I've been seeing a lot of Fleet- and above-level traffic about this. The news, and some of the Fleet memos, say it's a virus. It kills you, brings you back, and makes you eat everything around.

Our role has been changed to setting up a blockade. We stop anyone, any ship, trying to slip past the Coast Guard and inspect the ship. Word is that some Coasties tried this and found the ship overrun with the damned things. Lost a few of the boarding party and bugged out. They had to kill their wounded. Fucking sick.

We're going down to Lejeune [Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, South Carolina] to pick up the _entire_ II Marine Expeditionary Force. Fleet-wide prepositioning orders went out today. They're bringing in all the hardware the II MEF will need to invade a country. This doesn't bode well.

7/19/10 2350

Well, its settled. We have a full scale zombie invasion on our hands. This isn't supposed to be possible, but when your president is on the TV, every channel, telling you Martial Law has been declared, it's kind of hard to be in denial. Especially when you're part of the "martial" in Martial Law.

I'm not technically in the know, but being on comms, it's hard not to see and hear what's going on well above my pay grade. I saw on one diagram that New York, Seattle, LA, Houston, Detroit and a whole bunch of others are either totally out of contact or very near being overrun. Strategic bombing is being seriously entertained as a means of "stemming the tide" of the infected leaving the cities for the countryside and other cities, following the evacuating civilians. Read Admiral Tyson [Read Admiral Nora Tyson, then commanding officer of CSG-2] was talking with Captain Miller [Captain Chip Miller, captain of the _Bush_] about the Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations, whether the use of nuclear weapons against the Undead counted as "overwhelming conventional enemy force" and if the president would actually use them. God I hope not.

7/23/10 2300

We have the II MEF with us. A total of one Marine Division, the 2nd, as well as the 22nd, 24th and 26th MEUs [Marine Expeditionary Units]. We also have a few ARGs [Amphibious Readiness Groups] to carry them along with all of the prepositioning ships. Needless to say, I've been busy on the communications.

Well, Operation Firewall, the bombing of cities and their immediate surroundings have been going on for about 17 hours now. The different branches are doing everything they can to evacuate civilians to bases and cities that aren't infected yet. Bases are having walls and fences built further out around them to accommodate all the civilians and possibly provide farmland. _Farmland_ for the love of God! They say this could last years and that we may never be rid of this threat. I know Greg and Julia are safe at Norfolk. Greg said that they were taking refugees like mad. He told me that they were killing anyone with so much as a scratch on them from the Undead. Apparently they're offering everyone who comes in, that isn't too old or unfit for duty, the choice of enlisting or working in the fields and as manual labor. He chose to work so he could stay with Julia.

The news, what's left of it, is going apeshit. A lot of studios got overrun, but the ones that are up are reporting that this is happening everywhere. Japan is still safe, having closed its borders and is enforcing a blockade around itself. The same for Australia, Madagascar, and most other island countries. It seems that "Zack" as the guys are calling them, can't handle underwater trips well. No one knows why, with them not having to breathe...

England seems to be the only island country that has a problem with the infected. They blew the Chunnel that was connecting them with France. That stopped the Undead from entering the country. That and the blockade they have up. They're working at clearing the cities now and are doing a fair job. So long as some country in the Atlantic is safe besides us stays up, we can do our job.

7/30/10 1340

They nuked New York, LA and Houston! God, it really has come to this, hasn't it? I shouldn't be surprised about New York really, we were the ones that nuked it.

About 1130 an Emergency Action Message came through. Just like in _Crimson Tide_, except we received no order to rescind this one. I called Captain Miller in the CIC and Admiral Tyson. I told them what just came through. The XO came to get it himself. The Navy, DoD or Whitehouse have never acknowledged that we carried nuclear weapons aboard our carriers, but ever since the start of the Cold War, we have. The order was authenticated and 2 Hornets [F/A-18 Super Hornets] carried it and fired it right over Central Park. I don't know what the yield was, but it was enough to level the city. And fry the 15 million plus Undead in and around the city.

Around the same time two other missiles were fired at Houston and Los Angeles. All three are smoking parking lots now. They say that there weren't many civilians in the cities anymore and that they were warned yesterday. There's no way many could have gotten out. God, have mercy on us all.

8/7/10 2037

To date, we've had no infections among the 2nd Fleet or the 2nd CSG. The same can't be said for a British destroyer. It tried to pick up a boat load of survivors from escaping from the French coast. They assured the Brits they didn't have any wounded. Turns out they lied. 287 men and women of the Royal Navy died because of that lie. A standing order went out that we were not to take on any persons under any circumstances, but to escort them to port facilities built along the coast for the purpose of processing people on boats. How they managed to set up those facilities is beyond me.

Very few cities are still intact. Washington was walled off almost overnight and the city, sewers and all, was cleared of infected. Atlanta has become the capital of medical science now. The city was 2 divisions of infantry and 1 armored in and around it, constructing barricades and protecting the scientists and the CDC [The Centers for Disease Control was the epicenter for studying the Undead Plague and trying to find a cure or means of stopping its spread, most of the scientists were evacuated early on and brought to Atlanta]. The entire state of Hawaii was blessedly saved from infection. Very few other places are safe now.

Military bases themselves are now small cities, filled to the brim of up to 500 thousand people, even with the expanded walls. The stockpiles of food and water are running low. The garrisons make runs out to the surrounding area daily via helicopter to try and get food from factories, warehouses and stores. They can't leave by foot because the walls are surrounded by Undead in numbers upwards of hundreds of thousands. Napalm has made comeback.

Thankfully, Greg and Julia are holding on. Crime and violence in the bases is relatively low, surprisingly. One's tendency to riot and be hostile towards the people who are protecting you after saving you from the literal jaws of death is pretty low it seems. That and the number of armed troops.

8/16/10 0945

It seems that more of the world is alive than we thought. Somehow, some way, we managed to get in contact with the Russians. The United States and Russia chose to celebrate renewed communications by nuking China and India. With India and China having two of the largest world populations, this makes a lot of sense, as twisted as that seems. Nuclear hell came in the form of two _Ohio_-class nuclear submarines [the _USS Henry M. Jackson _(SSBN-730) and the _USS Alabama _(SSBN-731)] emptying their silos [2x24 _Trident II_ missiles carrying 5 475kt warheads apiece, 114,000kt total yield] and the Russians firing an equivalent amount of warheads at mainland China, Hong Kong, India and the Korean Peninsula. Estimates place the infected killed in the billions, and just like that, human population drops to less than half of what it was not two months ago. Millions of square miles were rendered uninhabitable for years to come. Luckily for Japan and the other Pacific countries, the prevailing winds are blowing the fallout West.

8/20/10 2305

Things seem to be at a stalemate lately. Early on, all American forces abroad were ordered to hole up and wait for evacuation. Our forces in Europe fell back to England via one of the best examples of what the Air Force can do: move a lot of shit really fast. The men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan had to wait a little longer. Of all our people in Iraq at the time, about 3/4 made it out, they're over in Japan now. The same for our people in Afghanistan, who were lucky to be in mostly low population zones. Our only major force abroad that we lost were the men and women in South Korea. Oddly, not from the people in the North, no, the minefield kept them back for a long time. The populace in the South turned fast, living in dense population centers, and with only one direction to go, they moved North.

A tentative census was released by the federal government, still entrenched in D.C. The people who joined the military since the outbreak and the people in camps number around 10 million. It's speculated that at least twice that are running around the countryside trying to survive or holed up in make-shift fortresses. The military has run into a few of these when out on runs to find food for the refugees inside the bases. Some were friendly, some were hostile "against the government that left them to die" even when they had been approached for rescue early on. No one is willing to say what happened to the other 270 million Americans.

Thankfully, someone had their heads about them early on and sent troops to secure oil fields and refineries, even some factories that were able to be blockaded off. As such, we still have fuel for our planes, tanks, ships and can still make a limited amount of munitions. Estimates were released showing that our fuel reserves would last for 10 years, and that's just what we had stored.

8/30/10 2100

Command of the military came back to the President, state Governors ceding control back to him, one even saying "Mr. President, I have no state." I'm surprised it took this long, honestly. The Army and Marines finally got tired of sitting on their hands and guarding civilians and simultaneously began to push out from their bases. In 24 hours, they estimated 5 million infected killed nationally. Large areas of land were gained, more often than not, doubling the size of the bases, letting the civilians spread out more and more crops to be planted and hopefully harvested before winter. It's a damned slim hope, but it's all that a lot of them have.

The State Department has managed to make contact with 20 other countries. Britain, Germany, Russia, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and a few others. We never lost contact with Japan or Australia or New Zealand, which are doing better than we are and might be able to send shipments of food before winter.

We've been at sea for a month and a half now. We've seen the whole event on TV and little of it in person. It doesn't seem real. All I know is that I'll get to see my little girl and my husband again soon.

9/10/10 1400

It's official, half of the 2nd Fleet are headed to various ports for down time. The _Bush_ is one of the ships going to port.

Other than launching aircraft to support a few of the pushes from base, we haven't done much. Just being here means that we are still a country and that we are still far from weak. We still fired one of the first nuclear weapons for use against anything but mannequins since World War II, and it was on our home soil. We traded part of ourselves that day. It feels like years ago, but it was barely more than a month ago.

***End Text***

Commentary:

Case Officer Barry Handson: Petty Officer Ziccardi stayed with the Navy and worked as a Operations Specialist for another two tours before she was recommended for Officer Candidate School. She accepted and is now a Commander.

This journal, and the many other just like it were used to understand the psychological toll the War was taking on our men and women in the military. While it is admitted that few can come through such an event unscathed, it was surprising how well the personnel were taking this. With a few exceptions, Navy personnel maintained their professionalism and their sense of duty to country. This fact is held proudly by the Navy and Department of Defense because of how well mental conditioning during Basic Training held with these men and women. It is often pointed out that the Navy had little contact with the Undead and therefore was a much less stressful branch than the Army or Marines. The topic is debated hotly in military and psychological circles to this day.

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**And once again, Like Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs, I beg and beseech you to provide locations for me to set the next chapters in. Names are also in short supply, so please send me names for characters.  
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**Thanks for reading. Now, please, review.**


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